Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz at October Lunch

Our October meeting featured newly elected State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz. A rising star in the PBC Republican party, supporting GOTV efforts and candidates at all levels for the last 5 years, Jodi won almost 25,000 votes (40%) in the August election in a county-wide race against two opponents, including a past Vice Chair and candidate in several House and Senate races. As Committeewoman, she will represent the county party to RPOF and connect local candidates with the movers and shakers in Tallahassee.

Jodi started with the various ways that members can help get our candidates elected on 11/5. At this point we are “past the point of persuasion” and focused on Get Out the Vote. Early voting has already started, and Republicans have done better this year in returning Vote by Mail ballots.

Some of her suggestions suggestions are:

• Sign up for a slot at one of the GOP tents at the early voting sites
• Wear a flag pin or Trump hat and talk it up in supermarket lines and other public places
• Sign wave at the Early Voting sites
• Sign up at the office to door knock and phone bank
• Bring friends and family to the polls
• VOTE EARLY!!

With a full list of our candidates, she urged support for them as well as our positions on the ballot amendments: NO on 3 (Marijuana) and 4 (Abortion), YES on the others, and NO on the sales tax surcharge. It looks good for our incumbents Peggy Gosset Seidman and Mike Caruso, and Meg Weinberger in the seat vacated by Rick Roth. We have the chance of a pickup in HD93 where Anne Gerwig is challenging incumbent Katherine Waldron.

We had asked her to say a few words about election integrity, and that clearly is on people’s minds as there were a lot of questions. She made a good case for the strengths of our checks and balances, and the improvements that have been made since Wendy Link was appointed Supervisor of Elections by Governor DeSantis.

PBCGOP Chairman with Election Preview

Our September meeting featured county GOP Chairman Kevin Neal.

Starting with a discussion of the six statewide amendments on the ballot, he focused in on the Marijuana proposal (Amendment 3) and some comments from Governor DeSantis at a recent event. If passed, this amendment will be a large economic boon to Trueleive, the company that runs most of the medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. Contrary to popular belief, this amendment (if passed) would not allow you to grow your own, nor would it open up the market to a lot of competition – instead it will provide a bunch of new customers for Trueleive, the company that is largely funding the drive to pass this amendment.

On amendment 4, what the Governor calls the “abortion until birth” amendment, it is interesting that the text does not use the term “physician” and implies that anyone could legally perform an abortion if passed.

Kevin pointed out that both of these amendments (3 and 4) are funded by George Soros.

On another topic, vote-by-mail (VBM), Kevin shared some interesting statistics. It is important to request a VBM ballot for a lot of reasons, but specifically those that receive one are 2-6 times MORE likely to vote in the election. Since Democrats typically outpace us by large numbers in VBM, the implications are clear. He also asked people to vote early, either with VBM or at early voting – the longer you wait, the more the candidates need to spend to push you to do so. Vote early and most of the political text, mail, emails and calls will stop.

Several county races are of particular interest. HD89, a D+13 open seat, is a potential pickup (although long shot) for Daniel Zapata. We also have a shot at Anne Gerwig defeating incumbent Katherine Waldron in D+6 HD93. R+3 HD91 (Peggy Gossett Seidman) and R+1 HD94 (open – Megan Weinberger) are tight and we need focus to hold on to these Republican seats. We also have a shot at SB5, also an R+1 open seat that Gloria Branch could win and end a several decade hold by the Dems.

Also at the meeting were candidates Michael Gauger (D+5 Sheriff), Page Lewis (R+17 SB1), and Ted Sarandis (D+9 Port of PB group 2).

RCPB School Board Candidate Forum

On July 23rd, the five School Board candidates from Districts one and five that are Republicans introduced themselves to our members. They are all on the ballot for the August 20th election.

We also used this meeting to award this year’s Anne Roberts Scholarship. See: Scholarship Winners.

From north county’s district one, which is mostly north of Northlake Blvd in Palm Beach Gardens we had Matt Lane and Page Lewis. From south county district five, which is mostly Boca Raton, we had Gloria Branch, Suzanne Page and Mike Letsky. (Left to right in the above photo.)

First up, Matt Lane went through his extensive list of endorsements and relevant experience as a public official (Palm Beach Gardens Council) and manager. His priorities include getting back to basics (reading, writing, math), not DEI and CRT. He would prioritize spending to hire and retain the best teachers, promote technical education, and insure the health and safety of the students.

Next was Page Lewis who listed some of her life experiences that have molded her worldview. She ran a restaurant, lived on an island, and has survived hurricanes. In order to fund her non-profit that teaches remedial reading in places like Belle Glade she started selling houses. She says she is in the race for the families and is not a politician.

Jumping down to district five, Gloria Branch listed her endorsements, the boards she has served on and her non-profits that she started. With a background in banking, she is a substitute teacher and like Matt would prioritize the basics in the curriculum.

Suzanne Page, a college professor with a doctorate in Economics, also has a background in banking. She would challenge the school district budget and asks where all that money really goes. In 2020 she ran for this seat against incumbent Frank Barbieri and achieved 40% of the vote. One aspect of the pandemic she mentioned was that as students worked from home, their parents got a look at what was going on in the classroom and didn’t always like what they saw.

Mike Letsky, an enterpreneur and engineer has kids in the district. He sees the schools system as a business and points out the problem of high teacher attrition. He would focus on school safety and the budget, and has filed a records request to examine the budget in detail. He notes that test scores are lower than pre-pandemic and thinks students should master basic math before using laptops for all their work. He would structure pay to encourage retention of experienced teachers.

After a short Q&A session in which all the candidates participated, we had our open mike session for other candidates.

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At the end of the meeting, we heard from:

Anne Roberts Scholarship Winners

At our regular lunch meeting on July 23rd, the Anne Roberts scholarships for the 2024-25 school year were awarded to two deserving students by our Scholarship chairman Bette Anne Starkey.

The Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship is available to any resident of Palm Beach County who is a full or part time undergraduate or graduate student seeking to further their education. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above and plan to attend an accredited college. Applicants must be registered (or pre-registered under 18 yrs. of age) Republicans. Current members of our Club may refer applicants for this scholarship.

William Hernandez (third from left) with his parents and club leaders:

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The club has been awarding these scholarships since 2009, with the following winners:

• 2024: William Hernandez, Palm Beach State, aeronautical engineering and Nate Waldstein, Univ of Central FL, Lakeland, business marketing
• 2023: Grace Templeton, Southeastern, Lakeland – sophomore
• 2022: no scholarships
• 2021: no scholarships
• 2020: Keelie Hanley, Embry Riddle Aeronautics, AZ, Soph and Rileigh Hanley got a full ride to USAF Academy, CO
• 2019: Jenna Calderaio-FSU-Senior, Jessica Blakley-Belmont University -Senior, Ben DeHaan-PBAU Junior, Rileigh Hanley-Embry Riddle Aeronautics -Freshman, and Keelie Hanley-Embry Riddle Aeronautics-Freshman
• 2018: Jenna Calderaio – FSU; Lauren Staff– UF and Jessica Blakley –Belmont University
• 2017: Jenna Calderaio – FSU, Lauren Staff – UF, Ryan Walker – Stetson Law, and Madison Andrews—PB State
• 2016: Dylan Brandenburg-FSU, Jenna Calderaio – FSU, Lauren Staff – UF and Ryan Walker-UF
• 2015: Dylan Brandenburg-FSU, Daniel Kozell-FSU, Hanna Matry-UF, Ryan Walker-UF, and Aaron Mejias-PBAU
• 2014: Dylan Brandenburg-FSU, John Clark-FSU, Jason Ferrara-Alabama, Daniel Kozell-FSU and Hanna Matry-UF
• 2013: Dylan Brandenburg-FSU, Elizabeth Cayson-Walden Univ., John Clark-FSU, Jason Ferrara-Alabama, Daniel Kozell-FSU, and Danielle Madsen-PBAU
• 2012: John Ryan Clark-FSU, Jason Ferrara-Alabama, Daniel Kozell-FSU, Shirley Schaff-Northwood Univ., and James Shackelford-FAU
• 2011: John Ryan Clark-FSU, Jason Ferrara-Alabama, Kimberly Twoey-PBAU, and Shirley Schaff-Northwood Univ.
• 2010: James Schackelford-FAU, and Cindy Morris-PBAU
• 2009: Nicole Vega-FAU

Representatives Roth and Caruso Give their Views on the 2024 Session

On Tuesday, May 28th, Representatives Rick Roth and Mike Caruso gave us their impressions of the accomplishments of this year’s legislative session.

As each legislator has their particular areas of focus, each had a different list of highlights. Here are the major items they discussed:

• 207 bills so far signed by the Governor, with 27 awaiting approval and 77 more to be presented to him
• Home schooling has really accelerated under the school choice framework – 77K 10 years ago is now 155K
• 2/3 of the house is republican – the reason we can pass such important legislation
• There was a focus on public safety this year, including:
  • HB1365 – Unauthorized public camping and public sleeping – sets minimum standards for a county to allow homeless encampments
  • HB49 – relaxed rules on hours worked for 16 and 17 year olds
  • HB621 – allows for the efficient eviction of squatters
  • HB549 – reduces threshold for felony theft to $40 from $750 and targets “group retail theft”
  • HB75 – raises penalties for impeding, threatening or harassing 1st responders
  • HB1451 – no ID cards for illegals issued by out of state jurisdictions accepted (issuing them already banned in Florida)
  • HB1036 – enhanced penalty for illegals returning after being deported

• $117B budget, 40% health care, $22B for agriculture
• HB1 – Keeping roads open when closed by protestors
• HB7073 – cuts business rental tax to 2% from 4.5%
• HB1611 – reduced lawsuits against insurance companies and lower taxes on insurance
• CS/SB 7028 – up to $10K to harden homes under “my safe homes”
• HB3 – limit access to social media for under 14
• HB1403 – increases school choice with additional voucher programs
• SB184 – protects 1st responders – stay 20′ back

As reference material, Representative Roth provided his written notes on the session which are available HERE.

The meeting included some elected officials – County Commissioner Sara Baxter and Jupiter Inlet Commissioner Jim Davis were in attendance along with the two representatives.

Candidates introducing themselves included:

Joe LaFauci for State Committeeman
Jody Schwartz and Tami Donnally for State Committeewoman
Anthony Aguirre for House District 94
Michael Gauger for County Sheriff
Deborah Adeimy for Congressional District 22

May Meeting – Session Review with Representatives Roth and Caruso

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Representative Rick Roth is the current representative for District 94, which encompasses most of the western part of Palm Beach county, including the Glades cities, Westlake, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee Groves and the parts of Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens west of the turnpike. Rick is term limited this year and has completed his eighth Legislative Session since his election in 2016 in what was then district 85. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County.

With a degree in Mathematics from Emory University, Rick became President and principal owner of his family’s farming operation in 1986. Today, he is primary owner of both Roth Farms Inc., a diversified vegetables, sugar cane, and rice farming operation and Rays Heritage LLC., a vertically integrated state of the art packinghouse and sales operation in Palm Beach County. Rick has served in numerous leadership roles in his community, including on the Board of Directors for the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.

Representative Mike Caruso is the current representative for District 87, a coastal district running from Juno Beach south to Manalapan and including parts of Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park and Jupiter. Prior to the redistricting in 2022, Mike served two terms in district 89 which includes parts of Boca Raton and Delray Beach.

With a degree in Business Administration from George Washington University and several years as a CPA at KPMG and Grant Thornton, Mike opened his own CPA firm, Caruso & Caruso in Palm Beach County. He is deeply entrenched in the community both personally and professionally. In addition to his professional work as a CPA, he owns several residential and commercial properties throughout the county and is the CFO of Delray Beach Executive Suites. Mike has used his skills to benefit the community, serving on many community organization boards, and serving as an expert witness in many local and national court cases as a forensic accountant.

General Mark Holler’s Remarks at the February Meeting

General Holler told us some of the stories of serving under and with Generals we read about in the paper while serving several tours in the Middle East, South Korea, and in between and while serving as Executive Officer in the Army Inspector General at the Pentagon. The General also talked about the time he spent in Afghanistan and remarked how he was disappointed with the way the US exited from the country and gave us a 250 year history lesson on the practicality of the military from isolationism to pragmatism.

Dr. Rob Otto to Speak at our March Meeting

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Dr. Rob Otto grew up in Boca Raton. He was the 7th in his family to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated with a degree in aerospace engineering. Dr. Otto served for many years as an Infantry officer and is Airborne and Ranger qualified. Rangers are experts in small unit tactics and are trained to deal with threats in very dangerous situations. He has extensive training on creating safety for those around him and often speaks and teaches on this topic. After leaving the Army in 1998, he pursued a PhD in family therapy at Nova Southeastern University. He has a counseling office in Boca Raton. Dr. Otto and his wife, Shannon, have been married for more than 3 decades. They have two sons and a daughter who are all married. They are known as Ranger and Mumsy to their 5 grandchildren.

General Mark Holler at February Meeting

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Brigadier General (Ret.) Mark A. Holler most recently served as the Deputy Commanding General – Operations for Eight Army in South Korea (2022-23). A native of Florida, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Holler graduated from the University of North Florida in 1992 as a ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate. His advanced education includes a master’s degree in military operational art and science and a master’s degree in strategic studies.
Over a 31-year active duty career, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Holler served in leadership positions ranging from platoon leader to commanding general. He served a total of eight years overseas, to include five combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and three assignments within the Pacific region. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Holler also served in the Pentagon as the Director of Fires on the Army staff and Executive Officer to the Inspector General of the Army.
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Holler’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (six awards), Bronze Star (three awards), Meritorious Service Medal (five awards), and Joint Service Commendation Medal. His badges include the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Combat Action Badge, Senior Space Badge, Inspector General Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Mel K and Eric Golub featured at January Meeting

Mel k educated the club members on why the United Nations was started by Rockefeller.
She referred to the Covid pandemic shutdown as a plandemic, suggesting that it was planned. She believes that Trump is needed now more than ever

Eric Golub asked the club members to find a common denominator when talking to independent voters. Eric says not to argue about state of affairs but to ask probing questions such as are you happy with high food prices?

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